Gottesman RTW Academy
New Educational Facility

Mass timber construction is on the rise nationwide. In addition to its intrinsic value as a material that contributes to attractive, warm spaces that people gravitate toward, mass timber is also lauded as a sustainable construction strategy, largely due to its ability to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. But what is mass timber’s sustainability story beyond carbon? Explore through KSS’ integrated approach that explores sustainability through a framework of four broad lenses–environment, social, human, and economic.
Institutional resilience has never been more critical. To explore this important topic, KSS facilitated a discussion with representatives from the University of Pennsylvania, a leader in planning and designing for long-term resilience, at the Society for College and University Planning’s Mid-Atlantic Conference.
Amidst an array of existing sustainability rating systems and frameworks, KSS Architects sought to dig deeper into our own understanding and approach to sustainability as a firm.
A new paradigm for development is forming as we continue into the 21st Century. The need for more equitable human development is emerging as a central concept as the economy transforms in what many are calling the fourth industrial revolution. At this moment, we have the opportunity to lay a new foundation that can facilitate systemic change to champion human development. To do so, we will have to think about and practice development differently.
KSS Architects is pleased to announce Mayva Donnon as a new partner. An exceptional architect and leader, Mayva has led several of KSS’ most noted projects and built many of the firm’s lasting client relationships.
COVID-19 is a catalyst of change. Several evolving architecture and design trends have not only been validated but accelerated to meet this moment: the value of open space, empathy, the balance of convergence and decentralization, blending boundaries, and wellness.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, business press headlines have declared a range of impacts on the workplace, from the end of the office as we know it to the absolute necessity of in-person workplaces like never before.
We believe it comes down to ‘why.’ Why do we go to the office, and why is the communal workplace important?
The University of Pennsylvania’s new Pennovation Center is a rebel, a futurist, a disruptor. It’s a phenomenon of a building that is also a machine for sparking new growth in the fields of learning, commerce, and community across greater Philadelphia and beyond. What’s more, its bold approach to sustainability that leverages its industrial heritage as an engine for research and learning has earned it a LEED Gold rating.